ThunderStruck: WWE Summerslam 2014 Reaction

^The best match RVD has had since he returned after his TNA stint was with Y2J on Raw. And what did Cesaro do to be in the dog house? RVD can be used to take younger talent to the top(why not a lengthy program with Mr. Wyatt?), and Cesaro should’ve been elevated alongside Brock Lesnar with Paul Heyman in his corner. WWE screwed this all up. The match was average and left a lousy taste in my mouth knowing what these two men are capable of.

Dolph Ziggler defeats the Miz with the Zig Zag to win the IC Title in just under eight minutes.

^I like the feud, I like the performers, and I liked the match a lot. Hot opening to one of the best shows this year!

Paige defeats AJ Lee when she counters the black widow with a brutal DDT and wins the Divas Championship in roughly five minutes.

^Exceptional performance from both ladies. Both are sensational, and that’s coming from a guy who was never big on AJ’s in ring ability. I loved this match; they did a lot in just five minutes and the right woman came out on top(make that Title mean something using these two talented ladies!).

Rusev defeats Jack Swagger when he passes out to the accolade.

^With another feud here that I’ve really enjoyed, this match turned out to reach all of my expectations. Who would’ve guessed that Swagger could actually get over as a face? Rusev’s match style is slow paced and aggressive, and now I’m curious to see if he enters into the IC or US Title scene to chase one of the belts. Maybe he and Swagger have one more brawl left in the tank.

Seth Rollins defeats Dean Ambrose in a lumberjack match using a head shot with his briefcase.

^Did they re-invent the lumberjack match? No, but they certainly did take a new spin on things and make it crazy! This was my favorite match of the show, despite not being the best wrestling match on the card. You can expect a whole lot more from these two!

Bray Wyatt defeats Chris Jericho in thirteen minutes.

^Wyatt got the clean win. That’s good. Wyatt looked good here. That’s bad. What? Wyatt only looked good; he didn’t look great and he didn’t stand out from the pack. Wyatt has YET to stand out from the pack in his performances. Does his gimmick work? Yup. Are his in ring skills good enough for the main roster? Yup. Is he top five roster guy like CM Punk, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho, the Rock or Steve Austin? No. Brock Lesnar heel heat? Nope. Face role? Maybe, just maybe. But anyway, the match wasn’t what I was hoping for. None of Wyatt’s big time matches have been what I’m expecting. Maybe my standards are too high. This wasn’t great though.

Stephanie McMahon defeats Brie Bella with the pedigree when Nikki turns on her sister.

^It was an angle more than a match. Props to Steph for filling her Daddy’s shoes. Nikki and Brie having a feud makes for a good storyline. It all works nicely for the Divas.

Roman Reigns defeats Randy Orton with the spear in sixteen miutes.

^Reigns goes over in his biggest match to date. He and Orton worked a very good match. It wasn’t four stars or anything, but it was passable for the importance. Reigns needs more time in the ring to become a star, but first he needs to have more mic time so the audience falls in love with the character. If the character isn’t someone the audience supports, winning match after match won’t matter one bit.

Brock Lesnar defeats John Cena in sixteen minutes to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

^Lesnar destroyed Cena for over fifteen minutes. It needed to be this way. Lesnar is now “untouchable” and that works in his favor. Every match he has going forward will be extremely memorable and THAT is what you call smart booking. Perfect ending to a solid show.

So how does the 2014 Summerslam rank? Last year’s show was a nine out of ten with two matches that I would give almost five stars to(Cena/Dbry and Lesnar/Punk). This year’s show didn’t have a four star wrestling match, but somehow the card was enjoyable from beginning to end. It was better than the 2012 pay per view, but it was not as good as 2011 or 2013. I’m giving the show a 7 out of 10 for delivering well on the stories and giving us an entertaining show, but it really felt lacking in that big match moment where the crowd is heavily involved.